Apparatus for opening or closing mine-doors.



PATENTED JULY 19, 1904,

P. BUTTER. APPARATUS POR OPENING OR CLOSING MINE DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 10. 1903.V

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WITNESSES' A TTORNE Y.

Patented July 19, 1904.

FRANK HUT'IER, OF OLEALUM, WASHINGTON.

APPARATUS FOR OPENING OR CLOSING MINE-DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 765,282, dated July 19,1904. Application led December 10, 1903. Serial Ne 184,702. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK HUTTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Olealum, in the county of Kittitas and State of Washington,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forOpening or Closing Mine-Doors, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to mine-doors or draftbarriers; and the object ofthe invention is to provide means for opening and closing such a barrierby the weight of a car passing therethrough, so that but a small amountof air will be admitted and which will not appreciably interfere withthe air-currents or system of ventilation used within the mine.

The invention consists in combination, with a door, of the novelconstruction, arrangement, and adaptation of devices for controlling thedoor,which will hereinafter be fully described, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation,and Fig. 2 is a plan View, of door-actuating devices embodying myinvention.

The numeral 2 represents a door constructed of canvas or other suitablematerial, which is suspended along its upper edge to the top of the dooropening or casing at one end of a box-shaped framework 3, inserted inmouth of a tunnel leading into amine. The door is positioned at that endof the framework from which the air is drawn by the prevailingconditions within the mine, and to prevent the door fabric from bulginginwardly of the frame I secure its lower edge to a relatively heavycross-beam 4 and tacka number of crosscleats 5 at intervals throughoutits entire height.

6 represents therails of the main track extending into the mine andwhich are secured to stringers or ties 7 in the usual manner.Supplemental rails 8 and 9, preferably of angle-bars, are positionedupon the outside of one of the main rails and are arranged in pairs uponboth sides of the door, with an interstice 9 therebetween to allow thecrossbeam 4 of the door to rest directly upon the main rails and upon achock which closes the opening between the rails, except the spacesrequired for the passage of the car-wheel flanges. The rails 8,of whichonly one is shown in the drawings, are each connected in proximity toits outer extremity by a pivot 10, extending transversely through one ofthe main track-rails and a stationary chair-support 11, and theintermediate rails 9 are slidably connected by bolts 12, integrallysecured to rails 9 and movable in stirrups 13 of rails 8.

14 represents rocker-shafts, which are journaled in stationary boxes 15and each provided at one extremity with a crank-arm 16, having itscrank-pin 17 pivotally connected in bearings 17', attached to the rail,and at the other end of each said shaft is another arm 18, so arrangedas to form a bell-crank with the respective first-named crank-arm. Thearms 18 are connected with each other by reach-rods 19,excepting betweenthe two pairs of supplemental rails, where a lever 20 is interposed,which is connected to the adjacent arms 18 by reach-rods 19'. One of therockershafts 14 is placed between the ends of frame 3, and the arm 18 ofthis shaft has an extensaid 21, which is connected by rods 22, 23, andlever 24 with a bracket 25, suspended from a tilting frame 26. Thisframe is hinged at 27 to the framework 3 upon the end opposite to thatupon which the door is hung and has toes 28, which project beneath thebeam 4, whereby the door is raised when the frame 26 is tilted up, as isplainly shown by broken lines in Fig. 1. Means, such as turnbuckles 29,are provided in the said reach-rods for adjustably regulating thelengths thereof, and set-collars 30, positioned in recesses of the boxes15, are provided for each of the several rocker-shafts, whereby they areretained at any set position transversely of the track.

The invention operates as follows: When a car approach es the entranceof the tunnel from either side of the door, the car-wheels upon the sidenext to the supplemental rails mount and depress the entire line thereofto actuate the various aforesaid rods and levers, which raises the doorand allows an unobstructed passage for the car. Immediately thecarwheels have passed beyond the said supplemental rails the unbalancedweight of the tilt- IOO ing frame and the door supported thereon actsthrough the various connections to elevate the auxiliary rails to theirnormal positions and simultaneously lower the door.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of the supplemental rails, the rocker-shafts eachprovided with two crank-arms one crank-arm of each shaft being pivotallyconnected to the said rails, connections between the other arms, a door,a tiltable frame having' one end hinged to the Jframework of the doorand the other 'end projecting beneath the lower edge of the door, apivoted lever having a hinged connection to the said tiltable framebetween the hinged end and the end operating the door and means forconnecting said pivoted lever to the said rocker-shafts and rails,substantially as described.

2. rlhe combination with a door suspended from suitable framework, atiltable frame having one end hinged to said framework and the other endprojecting outwardly. beneath the said door, and the main track-rails,of the supplemental track-rails arranged in pairs upon each side of thedoor, the outer end of each pair being pivotally connected with the mainrails, a sliding connection between the adjacent ends of each pair ofsupplemental rails, rocker-shafts disposed at intervals along the saidsupplemental rails and provided at one end of each with a crank-armwhich is pivotally connected with the said supplemental track-rails, acrank-arm upon the other end of each of said rocker-shafts, connectionsbetween the last-named cranlvarms, and a pivoted lever attached to aframe-section oi' the door and to the tiltable frame between the hingedend and the free end operating the door, crank-arms, rocker-shafts andsupplemental tracli-rails having operative connections with said pivotedlever, substantially as described.

ln testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK HUTTER.

Witnesses:

F. W. NAGLER, Cr. Prrtrs SHORT.

